01) No Place Like Tandy Hills

I've never been one to brag about Tandy Hills. - Just kidding. As head cheerleader, I never miss an opportunity to remind you of this amazing natural resource in the heart of the city. My job, each month, is to try and seduce you with words and pictures, to inspire you to walk these amazing hills and see for yourself what nature has wrought.

That job gets easier once April rolls around, when the prairie grass fades to background and wildflowers of many colors burst forth. The sheer beauty and diversity of April never fails to surprise this many-seasoned veteran. Seductive scenes are everwhere you look, such as, right now:

Hillsides dotted in the heavenly blue blossoms of Prairie Celestial; Hidden grassy coves of Wild Hyacinth; Secret patches of Texas Blue Star; Dew-covered stands of Purple Prairie Indian Paintbrush; Butterflies of many species, bugs, lizards, birds and a few mammals are out in force. The whole scene changes next week as more wildlfowers appear.

As you will see in the Field Report below, there really is no place like Tandy Hills, especially in April. So, lace up your red hiking shoes and come on in.

DY

02) Field Report - March

Most wildflowers were blooming at least 2 weeks later than last year. However, by the end of March, lots of rain seems to have helped. I'm also seeing a few species such as Prairie Celestial and Indian Paintbrush in areas not seen in my 20+ years of observation. On a March 31 walk, after 2" of rain, things are really starting to pop. Lots of cool surprises like the, Tersa Sphinx Moth, pictured below.

Half opened bud of Wild Hyacinth

Tersa Sphinx Moth (Xylophanes tersa)

One of the many amazing pollinator species of Tandy Hills.

Blue Flax (Linum pratense)

Texas Blue Star (Amsonia ciliata var. texana)

Blue Star is found in only a few small patches across the Tandy hills.

A Yellow Swallowtail feasting on Texas Honeysuckle made my day.

03) Prairie Helpers

On March 10th, Friends of Tandy Hills hosted 75 young people from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Fort Worth for a 2-hour volunteer work day. Led by Upward Bound Project Advisor, Abel Cerros, the enthusiastic bunch of teens helped put a major dent in our Privet problem, hauling off two giant piles of recently cut brush. Many of these kids had never volunteerd before and got a valuable life lesson. FOTHNA vols, Joseph Lippert andDebora & Don Young helped manage the project.

04) Legacy Park Update

The official signage for our well-earned Lone Star Legacy Park award was installed in March. It pairs nicely with our recently installed Great Texas Wildlife Trail sign. These signs represent the hard work of many volunteers over the past 14 years.

05) PrairieSky / StarParty Is Back

A new season of monthly star gazing in association with, Fort Worth Astronomical Society, began in March. About 40 people showed up on March 24th, to check out the action above the hills and learn interesting facts from the astronomers. The public is invited to attend on selected Saturdays, when skywatching is most interesting. Family friendly. No dogs, please. FREE! Next party is April 21st. See full 2018 schedule here: http://www.tandyhills.org/events/prairie-sky-star-party

06) Notable Events in April

Tarrant County College South Campus is hosting and earth Day Celebration and Bioblitz on April 18. Check out the flier here:

The North Texas Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists has organized a series of discovery walks in Dallas County during April and May. Learn more at this website: http://public.ntmn.org

Finally, the The 2018 City Nature Challenge is coming up on April 27 - 30. 65 cities in 17 countries around the world will participate in the event. As you may recall, the Fort Worth-Dallas area was the top preformer in 2017. If you have questions, contact Sam Kieschnick with Texas Parks & Wildlife at, 972-293-3841. Keep an eye on the websites here:

07) Plum Pretty

Tandy Hills is home to at least 3 species of Plum trees. Experts have not yet reached consensus on the exact species data on the Tandy Hills iNaturalsit project page, but, Creek Plum (Prunus rivularis), American Plum (Prunus americana) and Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifloia) all bloom in March. While they all have magnificent blooms, I have observed fruit only on Chickasaw. Here are my photos of the three.

Creek Plum grows near the trailhead. It's more like a bush, less than 4' tall.

Creek Plum blooms, up close.

American Plum, is a large tree, over 6' tall, and one of the first spring bloomers.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself."